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568 Chapter 10 • Public Key Infrastructure

party, meaning that he is going to rely on the accuracy of the information on
your driver’s license.

■ The clerk asked for your driver’s license.At this point, the clerk requested a
certificate that was issued by a trusted authority.

■ The clerk verifies the check by validating the information on your license,
which has been issued by a trusted authority (the Department of Motor
Vehicles).At this point, the clerk validates your certificate.

■ After validating your information, the clerk trusts you and completes the
transaction.The clerk gives you the new television.

Certificates

In our example, we compared a digital certificate to a driver’s license (see Figure
10.7).A digital certificate is the tool used for binding a public key with a particular
owner. Let’s compare the information on a digital certificate with the information
on a driver’s license.
The information listed on a driver’s license is:

■ Name

■ Address
■ Date of birth
■ Photograph

■ Signature
■ Social security number (or another unique number)
■ Expiration date

■ Signature/certification by an authority (the seal of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts)

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